A 115-year-old British woman has become the world’s oldest living person, after the previous record-holder died in April.
Ethel Caterham is the last surviving subject of Edward VII, and has lived through the Titanic disaster, both world wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall and six monarchs.
Born in 1909, she is now the oldest living Briton to have ever lived, with two research organisations that verify ages for the Guinness World Records confirming her title as the oldest person in existence, after Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas died at the age of 116 on 30 April.
Born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Ms Caterham was raised in Wiltshire as the second youngest of eight children.
At the age of 18, she travelled to India as an au pair to a military family, before returning to the UK in 1931 where she went on to meet her husband Norman Caterham.
They married at Salisbury Cathedral in 1933 and lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar due to Mr Caterham’s role as a lieutenant colonel in the army.
They had two daughters and returned to live in the UK, before her late husband passed away in 1976 after over four decades of marriage.
For the last 50 years, she has lived in Surrey and has three granddaughters and five great grandchildren.
During an interview in 2022, she said: “Family is the most important thing in life, to be able to leave memories with your children and grandchildren.
“Possessions don’t matter a bit in the end – all you need is someone to look after you.”
She currently resides at Lakeview Care Home, which she previously described to the BBC as “lovely”, and has had a garden named in her honour to celebrate her 115th birthday last August.
Asked what she credits for her long life, she said: “Never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like.”
Reflecting on her birthday last year, she said: “I don’t know why there is all this fuss! I had a great day and feel very grateful to the care home for naming the garden after me.”
